Renal Failure in Old Age

Both females and males experience age-related problems from the urinary tracts, for example prostate hypertrophy in men and urinary incontinence in women. Kidney problems become more frequent in old age not only because of the normal functional decline but as a result of diseases associated with aging, and their treatment. 

There are also drugs which by themselves can cause kidney failure. The mechanisms behind drugs negative effects on the kidneys are multiple. Among the most important is diminished blood flow to the kidneys (prerenal failure). Others are immunological damages to the nephrons caused by deposition of autoimmune complexes or direct nephrotoxicity caused by for example, antibiotics. The kidney function can also be damaged by post-renal obstructions, for example, kidney stones, urethral strictures or prostate hyperplasia (Ashley 2004). 

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